Embracing Failure
I debated writing this post—spoiler alert! It has nothing to do with AI.
Image by Freepik
It’s about embracing failure—as painful as it is, it’s the secret ingredient for success.
Great PMs don’t avoid failure; they respond to it with calculated pivots.
Have you ever launched a product that flopped? You're not alone.
I've been there, and I've learned from it.
I've led my fair share of failed product launches, and they taught me more than any success ever could.
Here's why: I used to think impostor syndrome was my biggest challenge as a PM.
Then I realized it was due to my fear of failure, or simply looking like the dumbest person in the room. Overcoming that fear has been the most transformative experience of my career.
There were times when I started doubting myself. Impostor syndrome crept in, whispering false comforts.
What I realized much later is that failure is an essential part of the process, and as PMs, we need to embrace it, learn from it, and use it as fuel for our drive.
PMs operate in highly complex and ambiguous problem spaces, especially with AI products.
I noticed a pattern: the biggest mistakes often pave the way for the biggest wins when PMs learn to salvage the good parts.
Yeah, you read that right: salvaging is a crucial PM skill. Anyone can run an experiment, analyze the data, and do a readout.
But it's the actions after a failed experiment, or less-than-stellar product launch that ultimately determines success.
Our biggest failures often lead to our biggest successes. It's about resilience, perseverance, and being adaptable.
Like you, I'm still learning every day.
While the art of product management focuses on outcomes, an important driver is how we as PMs embrace the process.
It's about the journey, not the destination.
Hopefully, that's not too contradictory 😉
Who doesn't love a good problem?
